China

Indonesia

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Indonesia is working to curb Chinese investment in new nickel mining and refining projects, the Financial Times reported on July 26.

Indonesia, China: Indonesia Acting to Reduce Chinese Dominance in Nickel Sector

Canada

United States

Russia

Military & Security

On July 24, U.S. and Canadian fighter jets intercepted Russian and Chinese bomber patrols within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in their first joint Arctic flight operation, The Financial Times reported the next day.

U.S., Canada: Russian and Chinese Warplanes Intercepted Off Alaska

Taiwan

Typhoon Gaemi is due to hit Taiwan and southeast China on July 24-25, while heavy rain is due to hit northeast China, specifically Beijing, prompting the city to issue its second-highest emergency response level, The Washington Post reported on July 24.

Taiwan, China: Region Braces for Rains, Typhoon Gaemi Floods, Logistics Disruptions

Ukraine

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arrived in Beijing, China, for the first time since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine for a three-day trip at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on July 23.

Ukraine, China: Ukraine's Foreign Minister Visits China for First Time Since Start of War

Israel

Palestinian Territories

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the Palestinian political rivals Fatah and Hamas had agreed to establish a provisional reconciliation government and a plan for post-war governance in Gaza, CNN reported on July 23.

Palestinian Territories: Hamas and Fatah Sign Unity Agreement

Brazil

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced that he will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru in November and that his administration is working on a proposal related to the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, Reuters reported on July 19.

Brazil, China: Economic Ties Poised To Draw Tighter as Lula Hints at Joining BRI

Philippines

China and the Philippines reached a provisional agreement to manage the latter's resupply missions to the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea, the Financial Times reported on July 21.

China, Philippines: Disputes Endanger Provisional Agreement on Second Thomas Shoal

Australia

Samoa

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Japan

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Nauru

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Solomon Islands

Austria

Capping the 10th triennial Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, the 18-member Pacific Island Forum, or PIF, and Japan issued a declaration centered on climate change, maritime defense, trade and technology cooperation, Nikkei Asia reported on July 18.

Japan, Pacific Islands: Summit Produces Declaration on Maritime Security, Trade and Climate Cooperation

Assessments

Kenya

South Africa

Venezuela

Iran

Saudi Arabia

Europe

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference at the 75th NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-Iran Relations

Biden's exit from the U.S. presidential race will free him to pursue more aggressive action against Russia over Ukraine and increase pressure on Israel to end its war with Hamas. 

What To Expect from Biden's Foreign Policy Farewell Tour

Snapshots

Guinea

A stock photo shows a large, open-pit iron ore mine with various layers of soil.

If the project's completion is not derailed by renewed political instability in Guinea, the giant Simandou mine's iron ore exports will help China diversify its supplies and decarbonize its steelmaking industry. 

What Africa's Largest Mining Project Means for Guinea, China and the World

Mexico

Vietnam

Germany

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump on June 22 in Philadelphia. Should Trump return to the White House in 2025, a second term would see him target China, Mexico, Vietnam and the European Union to varying degrees.

Global Elections

Should former President Donald Trump return to the White House in 2025, a second term would see him target China, Mexico, Vietnam and the European Union to varying degrees.

What a Second Trump Term Could Mean for Global Trade: Who Trump Would Tariff, and How They Would Respond

Should former President Donald Trump return to the White House in 2025, a second term would see higher tariffs on imports, new trade wars, greater U.S. inflation and accelerated global supply chain diversification.

What a Second Trump Term Could Mean for Global Trade: Trump's Trade Priorities

The European Commission in Brussels. On July 18, incumbents Roberta Metsola and Ursula von der Leyen are expected to be confirmed for a second term as presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission, respectively.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: A New European Commission President, the Third Plenary Session of the CPC

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a signing ceremony in Beijing, China, on May 31, 2024.

The meeting is unlikely to yield major policy changes amid President Xi's preference for state-planning over market openness, while constraints on China's economic reform plans will perpetuate the steady outflow of foreign business.

China's Third Plenum Will Cater to Xi's Statist Vision of Economic Reform

Afghanistan

Pakistan

A man looks at damage from a Balochistan Liberation Army attack Jan. 30 in central Bolan district in Balochistan province, Pakistan. Economic and political constraints will limit the scale and efficacy of Pakistan's latest counterterrorism campaign, sustaining the threat of militant attacks and delays to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor despite likely efforts to bolster foreigners' security and engagement with key foreign stakeholders.

Economic and political constraints will limit the scale and efficacy of Pakistan's latest counterterrorism campaign, sustaining the threat of militant attacks and delays to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor despite likely efforts to bolster foreigners' security and engagement with key foreign stakeholders.

The Implications of Pakistan's Renewed Counterterrorism Campaign

Ethiopia

Egypt

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

India

A map illustrating Turkey (in red) and the BRICS countries (in blue).

Joining BRICS would underscore Turkey's balancing act between the West and the Global South, but the organization's weaknesses will limit its potential for economic growth.

For Turkey, BRICS Is Far From a Political and Economic Panacea

Peru

Moldova

The 133rd session of the Committee of Ministers at the European Council on May 17 in Strasbourg France. European Union leaders will gather June 27-28  in Brussels for the first European Council summit since the June 6-9 European Parliament elections.

The Weekly Rundown: Ukraine and Moldova Begin EU Accession Talks, Peru's President Visits China

Malaysia

New Zealand

Switzerland

President Cyril Ramaphosa is sworn in as member of parliament during the first sitting of the new South African parliament on June 14 in Cape Town, South Africa. Ramaphosa will be inaugurated to a second term in a ceremony scheduled to take place June 19 in Pretoria.

The Weekly Rundown: Ukraine's Peace Summit, South Africa's Inauguration

A graph of the ruble exchange rate against the background of the Russian flag and paper banknotes. 

A new U.S. sanctions package on Russia raises risks of secondary sanctions for financial institutions around the world, leading more companies to cut off ties to Russian entities.

With a New Sanctions Package, the U.S. Squeezes Russian Trade

Media

Podcasts

How is China reacting to President William Lai's inauguration?

Essential Geopolitics: The Outlook for Short-term China-Taiwan Relations

<p>China is situated on the eastern third of the Eurasian landmass, between Russia, mainland Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Its more than 9,000 mile-long coastline abuts the Yellow, East and South China Seas. China is a country of deep geographic divisions. Most fundamental is the split between its fertile eastern lowlands and the arid, sparsely populated highlands that enclose the lowlands like a shell. More than a billion people live in the ethnic Han Chinese core, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Traditionally, threats to China&#39;s Han core originated in the borderlands. To guard against overland invasion, successive Chinese rulers have sought to push the Core&#39;s borders outward &mdash;integrating these highlands as strategic &quot;buffer&quot; zones. These zones form a shield, protecting and containing the core. To be secure, China must control the buffer regions. But maintaining control of the regions, in turn, requires a strong and united core. And that means overcoming immense internal divisions &mdash; not only between northern and southern regions orbiting the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, but also between smaller regional units, each with their own geography, history, dialect and interests. Chinese history is defined by cycles of unity and fragmentation, from periods when a strong Han core captures and holds the surrounding buffers to those when a weak core breaks into its constituent parts, loses internal coherence and cedes control of the borderlands. This pattern, rooted in China&#39;s geography, has played out with remarkable consistency. By comparison, China&#39;s maritime interests have remained mostly limited to coastal waters. Today, however, growing international trade and rising Chinese reliance on overseas resources threaten to alter the pattern, adding a new maritime dimension to the struggle for buffer space &mdash; and potentially upending the long-standing dynamics of China&#39;s geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Indonesia, China: Indonesia Acting to Reduce Chinese Dominance in Nickel Sector

U.S., Canada: Russian and Chinese Warplanes Intercepted Off Alaska

Taiwan, China: Region Braces for Rains, Typhoon Gaemi Floods, Logistics Disruptions

Ukraine, China: Ukraine's Foreign Minister Visits China for First Time Since Start of War

Palestinian Territories: Hamas and Fatah Sign Unity Agreement

Brazil, China: Economic Ties Poised To Draw Tighter as Lula Hints at Joining BRI

China, Philippines: Disputes Endanger Provisional Agreement on Second Thomas Shoal

Japan, Pacific Islands: Summit Produces Declaration on Maritime Security, Trade and Climate Cooperation

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